10th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

With the Easter season finished and our special feast days behind us, our Sunday Mass jumps back into the regular schedule for Ordinary time.  This is actually a very special time for the Church.  The long lazy days of Summer are perfect for the unfolding the story of Jesus’ ministry as he travels from place to place.  Generally during this time our Gospel for the current week picks up where we left off last week.  We literally walk with Jesus and his disciples as his message and teaching unfolds during the journey.

The Word for the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Genesis 3:9-15
Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Mark 3:20-35

Our first reading is from the story of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden in Genesis.  As we begin our regular celebration of Ordinary Time, this reading seems most appropriate.  Here is the beginning of the human race on its own.  No longer do Adam and Eve have the protection of the garden.  Put another way, their veil of ignorance has been lifted and they must now fend for themselves.  It might seem a harsh sentence, but this reading must also be seen through the context of our Psalm:  “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”  God does not abandon his creation, he offers forgiveness so they can move on.

Our second reading is from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, a letter which we will be looking at for the next few weeks.  There seems to be some turmoil in the community at Corinth, so Paul here is reminding them that they are all of the same Spirit.  Scholars have named this passage “The Paradox of Ministry.”  That is, our spiritual strength can see us through our physical challenges.  Or as St. Francis said, “It is in giving that we receive.”  Our physical presence is transitory, but our spirit is eternal.

Our Gospel from Mark occurs early in Jesus’ ministry.  He has already gained some notoriety by healing people and chasing out demons while on his travels.  Now, after commissioning the twelve apostles, Jesus returns home only to find there are those who feel Jesus is the one who is possessed, including some in his own family.  To contradict this claim, Jesus uses simple logic:  “How can Satan drive out Satan?”  Then the scene changes where Jesus’ family (his mother and his brothers) show up for dinner.  The house is already full as Jesus claims that those already seated with him are his mother and brothers.  This turning against his family might sound shocking to us, but we need to remember, it was only a moment before that some of his family were claiming he was possessed by a demon.  The point here is that Jesus is redefining what we know as “family.”  Those who are for him are family, and those who are against him, even if they’re blood relatives, are not considered family.

Final Thoughts:
This Gospel from Mark is a radical departure from the traditional understanding of family for his day.  In Jewish tradition, the family and tribal bonds could never be escaped – an idea that was shared with most every other culture at that time, and is still shared with many cultures today.  Family is family.  Blood is blood.  But here Jesus teaches that blood isn’t enough.  Instead, family must be defined by shared beliefs and values.  This has the affect of greatly widening our family circles – making all of us brothers and sisters in Christ with God as our father.  And it is from this family we seek and provide support.

Now this new thinking might sound a lot like “if you’re not for us, you’re against us,”  and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, but the important lesson here is to look at this teaching on family in the context of Jesus’ other teachings, in particular those that teach us to love our neighbor or love our enemy.  Without love, no family structure can survive, be it blood or otherwise.